Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Sunday Stills – Pets
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge is “PETS”! Oh, Boy……if there is one thing I have a lot of, it is photos of my girls!!! I wonder, though, if I had known that this challenge was coming up, would I have chosen another subject to highlight on the week the challenge was “Favorite Subject“??? Hhhmmm………..nope, probably wouldn’t have changed a thing! hehehe
So, here goes: I could fill this post with pics of Katie, Megan, and Amy – the three current joys of my life, but I’m not going to! I gave this some thought and decided to use this challenge to honor a beloved pet that sadly passed on in 2007 after 17 years of being the Grand Diva in my home! There never has and never will be any like her……ever!!!
I present to you….
Her Royal Highness, The Princess Puddles Pritt
(Dec 15, 1990 – April 20, 2007)
This is my very favorite photo of Puddles – she will live on forever in my heart!
It wasn’t enough for this Diva to just sit on the couch…….she had to sit on a pillow on the couch!!! 🙂
Thanks for the challenge (that was more of a no-brainer than a challenge) and for taking the time to help honor my beautiful Puddles in the month that would have been her 23rd birthday! Click here to read the story of Puddles’ pampered life.
Sunday Stills – Night Shots
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge is: Night Shots – any type of night shot! The last two weeks, I copped out and used photos from my archives, but this week I wanted to use this challenge as an excuse to get out and take some photos of our downtown all lit up with Christmas decorations! So – here is my entry for “Night Shots” – enjoy!
NOTE: In some of the photos, you will see some white streaks! These are NOT jet streams or shooting stars or ghostly visitors! It was snowing and the camera captured some of the snow flakes floating by in really cool streaks!
Main Street, Albion, NY – looking south from near the canal:
Each light post on Main Street is adorned with a wreath and a “Welcome to Albion” banner:
A few of the lovely store fronts – all decorated so beautifully:
The huge evergreen in front of the old Swan Library – all lit up:
Same tree with the old Swan Library in the background and lots of snow flake streaks:
Main Street, Albion, NY – looking north from the corner of State Street:
The tree in front of the Swan Library shot from in front of the Courthouse on State Street:
Orleans County Courthouse at night:
Movie Review – Last Vegas
Lately, I’ve gotten back into the habit of going to the movies. I used to love going to a matinee – alone or with friends – and made it a regular habit. Since moving back home, I slowed down on the movies – mainly because, unlike in Sanford where there was a theater right in town and several within a 15-30 minute drive, there aren’t any theaters close enough to easily just “pop in” on an afternoon. But, lately, I’ve gotten back into the habit! I have found a friend who enjoys movies as much as I do and I’ve found a very nice, fairly new, clean, and easy to get to theater! BINGO!!!! 🙂 And, Mom and I are always looking for little mini adventures, too!
Mom has been wanting to see one particular movie since she first started seeing the trailers for it – me, too! Mom likes to go to the theater to see a movie now and then, but it has to be something that really catches her eye – like this one! So, yesterday, I got a huge treat and went to see a movie with my Mom!!! YAY!!! We went to Tinseltown in Gates to catch the 2:05 matinee showing of Last Vegas and then, had a delicious dinner at Pixley’s Restaurant – located right next to the theater with great food at reasonable prices.
We both loved the movie – so funny and a great story! The all-star cast – Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, and Mary Steenburgen – was incredible. An actor by the name of Romany Malco also starred as the casino employee who catered to the gang and Michael Ealy (who I LOVED in the TV show Common Law – what intense blue eyes he has) played Morgan Freeman’s over protective son.
The story starts out with the four main characters (Douglas, De Niro, Freeman, and Kline) as boyhood friends in Flatbush, NY – known as the Flatbush Four – and their shenanigans! Then, fast forward 58 years later to show the four in their old age living in different states – three of the four are living routine lives typical of men their age – Paddy (De Niro) lives a secluded, lonely life after losing his wife – the love of his life – just a year prior, Archie (Freeman) lives with his son (Michael Ealy of Common Law) who is very protective of his Dad’s every move after he suffered a stroke, and Sam (Kline) who lives in Florida with his wife and a knee and hip replacement. But, Billy (Douglas) lives life in the fast lane – he is a super rich business man with a girlfriend who is less than 1/2 his age, dyed hair, and a spray on tan! Billy calls Archie and Sam to announce he has finally popped the question to his young friend after being a confirmed bachelor for all these years and he is getting married in Las Vegas. The guys decide the only thing to do is to get the Flatbush Four back together for a bachelor party in Las Vegas – only problem is that Paddy and Billy have “issues” and Paddy wouldn’t be caught dead in the same state as Billy! But, Sam and Archie trick him into going and the fun begins! The guys live it up – “party like it’s 1959”, get into all kinds of situations, meet the lovely Diana (Steenburgen) – where history repeats itself with Billy and Paddy both falling for her, Billy and Paddy mend their differences, and their lives are reenergized – no more routine, stodgy old men (Freeman, De Niro, and Kline) or reckless millionaire playboy (Douglas), as evident in the final scenes just 58 days after the Las Vegas trip!
It is funny and heartwarming……and, yes, I even teared up a couple of times! 🙂 Douglas, De Niro, Freeman, and Kline still have what it takes to bring a character to life and command the big screen – they were all delightful and perfectly cast! Mary Steenburgen was as lovely and sweet as ever in her role – another genius job at casting. Romany Malco, Michael Ealy, and Jerry Ferrara round out the cast with fun supporting roles. This is a must see……we were very glad we did! I rate this movie an A with a two thumbs up recommendation!
Here is the trailer – enjoy:
Sunday Stills – Favorite Subject
Week two in my attempt to keep up with the Sunday Stills challenges. This week’s challenge: One picture of your favorite subject. Simple, right? Well, I struggled with this one because I have a LOT of favorite subjects to photograph – the lake, waterfalls, other water scenes, the sky, flowers, favorite places around town……and on and on and on! I thought and thought – do I search my folders for a most favorite photo – do I go out and find something within my favorite subjects that would be really cool to shoot? But, it ended up being a lot more simple than I was trying to make it! I kept going back to my very first instinct, so that is what I went with.
My favorite subject? My girls, of course! This is one of my most favorite photos of the girls – Katie, Megan, and Amy – it is the photo on my desktop and I quite often use it as my cover photo on Facebook, as well as other ways I use it routinely – I LOVE IT!!! I shot this on a lazy afternoon not long after I moved back to my home town (see I still had a card table set up in my dining room – HA). They were all gazing out the patio doors at faint snow flurries hoping to catch a glimpse of a cat or squirrel to go crazy over. It is rare to have them all sitting patiently together and to be able to capture it on camera is even more rare!
So, here is my entry for the challenge…….wonder what next week’s challenge will be? This is fun!!! 🙂
And The Season Ends…
The 189th annual season on the historic Erie Barge Canal ended this past week. On Friday, the waterway was closed to boat traffic and it will soon be drained. For weeks, now, barges, tugs, and tenders have been making their way to their designated parking spots along the banks of the canal – their work is finished and they are no longer needed to maintain canal operations and what little commerce still utilizes the canal system. As I left church and headed home this afternoon, I noticed that the section between the Main Street and Ingersoll Street lift bridges is crammed end-to-end and two deep with these iconic floating work horses all tied off along the north bank. I couldn’t resist pulling up and snapping some photos before the state begins to ready the canal for winter by draining it of most of its water.
Even though today is actually a warm fall day, the sky and trees look very much like winter is already upon us – dark, dreary, sullen, and lonely. The park benches along the tow path are abandoned and the vessels look cold and barren.
I’ll post some winter shots in the coming months, but this post marks the end of the 2013 season…..the canal will reopen for business for the 190th year in the spring……until then, rest ye ole work vessels, rest…….
Movie Review – About Time
I went to the movies on Thursday with a friend. We decided on a matinee showing of a new romantic comedy – About Time – staring Rachel McAdams. Good Choice!!! This met all my criteria for me to claim it was an excellent movie – I loved the characters, I laughed, I cried, and I left feeling good! Enough said……I liked it…….go see it!!!
PSYCH……you know there is no way I would end it there and not say anymore about it…..right???
The movie is set in England where, at age 21, Tim Lake’s father informs him of a family secret – all the men in the family can travel in time! Tim, of course, thinks it is a silly joke, but his father insists he give it a try. So, Tim does as his father says – fully expecting to return to the room and have a good ole belly laugh with his father about his gullible nature. But, it works! On his first “trip”, he goes back to a New Year’s Eve party his parents hosted the night before. At the party, he was too shy to kiss the also very shy girl he was standing next to at the stroke of midnight – he just shook her hand, instead! It leaves them both standing there as the only two in the entire room not kissing someone and it hurts the girl’s feelings terribly. On his return visit, he goes in for the kiss and makes a success of the evening for both of them. His father tells him that they can not travel into the future and, therefore, can’t predict what will happen in their lives. They also can not go back to some time or event that they weren’t involved in – so, they can’t change history by killing Hitler or preventing a world altering catastrophe. But, they can go back to relive or redo certain times and events from their own life. Tim questions the whole “what happens to the future if we mess with the past” theory and his father tells him that so long as they don’t change anything significant, the universe will go on unaltered.
So, Tim decides to use this to get a girlfriend and fall in love. He tries with a friend of his sister’s, but fails miserably at it. Then, he moves to London to be a lawyer and meets the beautiful, but very insecure Mary and he knows she’s the one! He takes his little trips back in time to fix any awkward moments they encounter to ensure everything is just perfect! And, love blossoms and they marry and have children and all is wonderful! He finds he rarely uses his gift because life is so perfect he wouldn’t change a thing! And, then, he discovers there are restrictions that cause him to have to make some tough decisions. His father reminds him that he never told him he could fix everything and there are things he wants desperately to change and either CAN’T change them or if he does it will drastically change his present and future! So, he has to decide – will he sacrifice some aspects of his future so he can continue to hold onto and visit the past or will he say goodbye to some important parts of the past so that he can continue to add joys to his future?
It is an amazing story — one I wish could be true! Who wouldn’t want a chance for those little “do-overs” that could make up for an awkward situation or correct when you put your foot in your mouth or undo that really stupid thing you did!!!??? And, who hasn’t wished with all their heart that they could have just one more moment to spend with someone they loved and lost – to hug them, to kiss them, to say goodbye – I know there are a few that I’d give anything and everything to have that chance, but I know it just isn’t possible…….
Tim is played by Domhnall Gleeson – an Irish actor, director, and writer. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him before, but will watch for him in the future – he did an excellent job at portraying the shy and awkward Tim who finds new confidence and courage once he discovers his family secret. Rachel McAdams is the lovely Mary. I adore Rachel McAdams and have enjoyed every character I have ever seen her portray – this was no exception! British actor, Bill Nighy is brilliant and ever so fun as Tim’s father – I loved this character a LOT! Other memorable characters: Joshua McGuire plays Tim’s friend and fellow lawyer – a silly, awkward young man who was really funny and lovable! Richard Cordery is Tim’s Uncle Desmond, a well dressed and very eccentric man who was off in his own little world most of the time – he was a joy to watch. Tom Hollander is a real hoot as a friend of Tim’s father – a very strange author who Tim rents a room from in London. The rest of Tim’s rather bohemian family consists of Lindsay Duncan as his mother and Lydia Wilson as his wild and crazy sister, Kit Kat.
I said it earlier and I’ll say it again…….I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! I love a movie that gives me a good cry and this one made me SOB and SOB, but was also funny and heart warming and heart wrenching and adorable and fun and…….you get the picture! I rate this one a solid A+ and highly recommend it……but, take some extra Kleenex – you’ll need them!
Here is the trailer — enjoy:
Sunday Stills – Blue
Here’s something fun….let’s see what I can do with it each week!!!???
I’ve been following a really cool new local WNY Blog – Backroads Traveller – Tom (the blogger) posts about things he sees and places he visits in and around Western NY every day. I really enjoy his blog. Yesterday, he posted about a new blog that he found – Sunday Stills, Adventures in Photography – this blogger posts a weekly challenge to share photos with a particular theme that changes each week. I checked out the blog and found it to be really cool! People who accept the challenge take photos based on the weekly theme and post them on THEIR blog and then enter a link to it in the comments section of that week’s challenge post! Cool, right? Through this, I’ve found some great blogs AND viewed some really incredible photos! So, I plan to give it a shot……this week, I am posting photos I have previously taken during various adventures…..from here on out, I plan to try to meet the challenge by taking new photos, whenever possible.
This week’s challenge: THE COLOR BLUE – and we were asked to not cop out and do the obvious (water and sky – although, you know these are two of my favorite things to take photos of). So, here goes:
First up – a blue cow – taken at the Jello Museum in Leroy, NY
Next – items purchased at an art auction to benefit the Temple Theater in Sanford, NC
Blue buildings in Hilton Head, SC
And, finally, the Hilton Head Diner in Hilton Head, SC
Watch for next week’s challenge…….
Show Review – “My Gal Patsy” A Patsy Cline Tribute Show
Mom and I went to see a Patsy Cline tribute show – “My Gal Patsy”, tonight – tickets for us to enjoy the show together was one of my birthday gifts. I remember going to another Patsy tribute show – “A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline” – at the Temple Theater in Sanford, NC (click here to read my review of that show) and I loved it, so I was really looking forward to seeing this one! I was not disappointed – it was a fantastic evening!
First, let’s talk about the venue. Amy Sidari owns a local dance studio – Gotta Dance Studio. Not too long ago, she opened up a part of her studio as “The Cabaret at Studio B”. It is a small, intimate nightclub / cabaret like setting with a stage and bistro tables and chairs. She has had several shows that highlight local or regional talent – singing, dancing, comedy, etc. It was really quite nice and I can’t wait to check out other shows! Click here for more information on Miss Amy’s dance studio and The Cabaret at Studio B.
Josie Waverly – the star of tonight’s show – is a regional favorite that has performed all over the country in her own shows, as well as opening for many of Nashville’s biggest stars! As Patsy Cline, she brings the legend to life right before your eyes….and does an amazing job of it!!! She has the voice of an angel with the range, cracking, and growl all reminiscent of Patsy, herself, but with her own distinct quality. Of course, she performed the big Patsy Cline hits, like Crazy, Sweet Dreams, and Walking After Midnight. But, she really touched my heart with my personal favorites – Back In Baby’s Arms and She’s Got You! I sobbed the most when she sang one of my favorite hymns – one I love hearing recordings of Patsy singing – A Closer Walk With Thee – gets me EVERY TIME!!! And I smiled when she did one that I had forgotten that Patsy did – There He Goes – love it and hadn’t heard it in years! She also did several country classics that Patsy did in her shows. I didn’t sit still for a second during the entire 90 minute show – I was just a bee-bopping, swaying, and foot tapping away – and I even lost my fight to keep from singing out loud on a few of my favorites……and, I didn’t even try to fight back the tears and grins!!! Unfortunately, it was the quickest 90 minutes in history – I hated to see it end – I could have stayed there and listened to her for several more hours and still wanted more!!!
Her band was amazing, too! During her costume changes, they entertained us – the first was Tim Micsak performing Willie Nelson’s Always On My Mind and the second was an absolutely incredible rendition of Orange Blossom Special that brought chills to my bones!!! I LOVE a good fiddle and this guy – Gene “Sandy” Watson (who also played a mean steel guitar) – is GOOD, actually, “good” doesn’t come close to describing it! I got excited when I saw him come to the center mic with the fiddle in his hands and when that most perfect fiddle song started, I about came out of my chair! Throughout the entire song, it was all I could do to keep myself from jumping up and kicking up my heels in a clog…….except that I really need a good pair of cowboy boots to do a clog justice and I had sneakers on, so……. 🙂 The rest of the band were incredible, too, and they looked like they were having a blast – especially the keyboard player, Bob Mondy – he was really into it!!! If you know me, you know I love a good drummer and Dave Forti didn’t disappoint! It was also cool to see that the band includes Albion’s own Angelo Marasco on bass guitar, whose wife, Rachel, is a friend of mine from church!!! They were all VERY good!
At the end of the show, Josie told the audience that tonight was her last performance of “My Gal Patsy”…….which resulted in a lot of groans of disappointment from the audience! She is working on a new show – I forgot what she called it, but it will feature nine women of country music – all performed by Josie!!! I can not wait until that one comes out – sounds like a MUST SEE show! She also said she is hoping to put together a Connie Francis tribute show – that’s one I’ll want to be sure to see, too – the minute she said her name, my mind went instantly into a chorus of Where The Boys Are……!!!!!!
The show wasn’t the only highlight of the night…….we ran into several friends, there – some old friends of Mom’s and mine, some friends from church, and some girls I graduated with, including one high school friend and her husband who joined us at our table! Then, after the show, Mom and I went to The Village House for a piece of pie and cup of tea to cap off the evening! It was a totally enjoyable night all around! I couldn’t wait to get home and write about it to share my pleasure with all who stumble on this blog and read it! 🙂
So, to close this review and give you just a sample of what is still playing over and over in my head…….here are some video clips of Patsy and Charlie Daniels – enjoy!!!
First up — one of the biggest highlights of the night – The Orange Blossom Special – performed in this clip by the master – Mr. Charlie Daniels:
Patsy singing A Closer Walk With Thee:
Patsy singing Crazy:
And, my personal favorite – Patsy singing She’s Got You:
And, finally, I can’t close without including Patsy singing Sweet Dreams:
KP’s Pony
Last week I said good bye to my precious pony……a gorgeous 2005 red Mustang GT convertible! I have always loved the muscle cars – I had two Camaros and a Dodge Daytona years ago, but really longed for a Mustang for as long as I can remember! I also dreamed of having a convertible, but never did have one. So, I promised myself I’d have a convertible before I was 50 – I called it my mid-life crisis gift to myself! HA! In 2004, I looked at the 40th anniversary Mustangs and the retro T-birds and came close to buying one or the other. But, I heard rumors of a retro Mustang coming out in 2005, so I knew that was what I wanted……so, I waited……but, when they first came out, they didn’t have a convertible option!!! DANG!!! I found out the convertibles would be released for sale later – by April 2005! That was it…….I searched inventories on the web for every dealer in NC to find exactly what I wanted – it had to be red – it had to be a convertible – it had to be a GT…….and I found one right near by in Raleigh……and I got it – just in time to fulfill my promise to myself to have a convertible BEFORE I was 50 (it was April and I turned 49 in October)!!! I loved that car!!! My pony and I went on many an adventure together! And, then, I moved back home to Western NY and quickly realized I needed a winter car so I could garage the pony and keep her out of the snow and salt…….not to mention that a Mustang with that much power and rear wheel drive doesn’t do well in snow! Soon it became obvious that it just didn’t make sense to continue to maintain two vehicles – one that sat in the garage a large portion of the year! So, I very reluctantly put her up for sale…….and the right buyer came along last week. I felt good about the buyer – a guy looking for a summer vehicle for him and his wife to drive around and travel with……just what I hoped for! Although I know it was the right thing to do, I am still heartbroken — I’ve passed my baby on to someone else! 😦
And, now, as a parting tribute……..my theme song – Mustang Sally – any time it came on the radio while I was driving, I’d turn it up full blast and sing along at the top of my lungs (it was especially entertaining if the top was down and I was in traffic…..hehehe) – I’ll never be able to listen to it again without thinking of my precious pony!!!
Stormy Skies and Shell Fish
So, today was my birthday…..not that I’m counting them anymore, you understand, but I still sure do love to celebrate them! hehehe My family – Mom, brother Kevin, and sister-in-law Lylace – took me to Joe’s Crab Shack in Henrietta for dinner. I LOVE Joe’s Crab Shack – used to make a point of going to the one in Fayetteville, NC when I lived in Sanford at least once or twice a year! I was a little disappointed in the appearance – the new versions aren’t as rustic and “beachy” as the older versions are – missed that ambience! But, the menu and food was just as I remembered it and it was AWESOME!!! I had the Lobster Daddy Bucket – a whole lobster, lots of crab legs, potatoes, and corn on the cob all steamed together with Old Bay Seasoning…..OMG!!! We had such a good time cracking and picking at crab and lobster…..except Mom – she’s not crazy about working so hard to get a little bit of meat, so she had a delicious looking seafood platter…..but, between Kevin and Lylace’s Steampots and my bucket, there was some wild cracking going on at our table….I kid you not!!! I had a new experience, as well – I have had lobster many, many, many times in my life – LOVE IT – but have never had a whole lobster served “as is” before!!! I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it – I knew to rip the legs, claws, and tail off, but wasn’t sure if there was any other part that was eatable…..I found out from the waitress that there wasn’t, so I dug in and ripped it all apart and chowed down! I kind of felt like Daryl Hanna in “Splash”, except that I didn’t bit in to the shell……although, I did give it a little kiss before I devoured it! hehehe But, the embarrassing fun came after we finished……the staff came to my table – I thought they were going to do one of those corny birthday songs, but they did something really quite different…..and fun!!! They got the attention of the other diners and announced that it was my birthday and that they were going to take me to Hawaii to celebrate – I had to stand up and they put a grass skirt and a straw hat on me and had me dance and play an inflated ukulele while they sang to me!!! What a riot!!! Sorry, no photos of that part…..but, here are some of the dinner itself:
On the way home, we watched the sky to the north – it was the strangest color of gray-ish blue with the bright sun making it look like it was metallic or something and the autumn colors came to life against it! I knew I had to go see what the sunset was going to look like over Lake Ontario – I just knew it was going to be awesome!!!! So, when I got home, I fed the girls their dinner and let them out to take care of their business and sniff around the back yard for a bit. Then, I got them in and settled so I could head to Point Breeze! Along the way, the sky was getting more and more intense as an amazing backdrop for the fields and woods, but I didn’t want to stop and capture any photos because it was getting too close to sunset time and I didn’t want to miss it over the lake! Unfortunately, by the time I got there, it was raining and the sun was down just enough that it wasn’t the blaze of bright light that it was just seconds before, so the view wasn’t as intense as I had hoped…….but, I still got some cool shots of the stormy skies over the lake and I even captured a rainbow trying so hard to peak out through the rain and clouds!
I was so lucky to get this shot of the rainbow and sun rays making their way through the misty rain and clouds!
Although it was raining, the sun was still shining through enough to illuminate the lighthouse! But, that didn’t last — soon after I arrived and started taking photos, the rain became heavier and the sky got darker……the following few shots were taken through the rain as the sun began to set.
Such beauty amidst the storm……
When I returned to town, the storm was still north of us, but it made an incredible backdrop to some of the historic sites in town. I couldn’t resist stopping to wander around and snap a few photos to capture that beauty…….the contrast between the strangely beautiful sky in town and the storm looming to the north over the lake was amazing.
Main Street looking north – the Presbyterian Church steeple and the Post Office
The Presbyterian Church steeple against the sky
The County Courthouse and County Clerks building framed by autumn trees
Main Street lift bridge over the canal
The Main Street lift bridge, canal, and flags as the sun sets and the storm creeps in
So, there you have it……a wonderful birthday and beautiful stormy skies!!!
Kim's Thoughts 
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